


Maybe

by reddies_eggos1711



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bad Parenting, I wrote this before season three, Jonathan could be better lol, Steve Harrington is eight, Steve is a good kid though, Will Byers is like three, also appreciate that there is a mall in past Hawkins instead of questioning it okay, but oh well, make it an AU, so before i knew that Steve mom was a very respectable woman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:09:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23852092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reddies_eggos1711/pseuds/reddies_eggos1711
Summary: Eight-year-old Steve Harrington finds a three-year-old Will Byers sitting outside the mall alone. He makes it his responsibility to find the kid's parents before his mom gets back.
Relationships: Will Byers & Steve Harrington
Comments: 7
Kudos: 92





	Maybe

**Author's Note:**

> yooo wrote this before season three so we didn't know that Steve's mom was totes respectable. i'm sorry. so yeah... enjoy...

Steve knew she’d be a long time. Though he was only eight, he knew that his mom would be gone as long as possible as to avoid responsibility of him. He didn’t know why, he just knew that she didn’t like being a mom much. She would constantly go shopping and not let him go inside the mall with her. _Stay out here!_ She would yell at him. _Sit on this bench and don’t be a little bitch until I’m done._ So he did. He stayed sitting on that bench outside the mall for hours and hours almost every day. His mom didn’t like him very much, but he loved her so he would be a good boy and do what she said. Many people would come over and ask if he was okay or where his parents were. He would always tell them that his mommy had just ducked inside and she’d be back in a couple of minutes, when he knew for a fact that she wouldn’t be back for hours. The people didn’t care enough to make sure she came back, but that wasn’t anything new.

Steve was suddenly alerted that his bladder was at capacity and he ran off to the restrooms around the corner. This also wasn’t new. He’d basically mapped out the perimeter of the mall perfectly by this point, yet he’d never been inside. He knew every inch of the gardens out front and everywhere between, from old the Nacho Shack out back to the homeless guy on the front street. He finished in the restroom, washing his hands, his height forcing himself onto his tip toes just so he can reach the tap. He was a lot shorter than the other kids at school. He hoped that would change one day.

Making his way back to the bench, he found himself silently pleading that his mother hadn’t come back while he was gone. He didn’t want to get in trouble again. He didn’t like making her mad. However, when the bench came into view, it wasn’t his mother who occupied it. It was a boy.

Steve walked over to the young kid, who was swinging his short little legs back and forth. He was too short to get himself down, but it didn’t look as though he was in a rush to.

“Hello.” Steve stepped in front of the kid.

“Hi.” The kid beamed back at him. A smiley kid. That was different to what Steve was used to. The kid only looked about three. His hair was trimmed into a bowl shape almost making his smiley face look adorably chubby. He had a yellow jacket and grey jeans with tiny white sandshoes on his small feet. Someone clearly loved _him_.

“What’s your name?”

The kid looked like he had to think about it for a moment before stuttering out his answer.

“Will.”

Steve grinned, jumping up to sit beside him on the bench. “Hi, Will. I’m Steve. What are you doing here?”

“Jon bringed me here.” Will chirped, turning to face Steve and almost toppling off the seat in the process. Steve steadied him and he laughed. “I almost falled.”

“Yeah, you did.” Steve smiled. This kid was cute. “Who’s Jon? Is he your brother?”

“Uh huh! He bringed me here with mama and then he bringed me to this chair and then leaved.” Will suddenly found extreme interest in his shoes and got distracted by them fascinatingly.

“He just left you?” Steve asked, eyes wide, but the kid was too caught up in his Velcro straps to respond.

Will poked his tongue out as he prodded at his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

Steve tried again. “Why did Jon leave you?”

The kid shrugged – or, tried to – barely acknowledging the question. “I’m hungry. Mama has food for me. Where is mama?”

He looked at Steve as though he would know the answer. “I don’t know, Will. What does she look like?”

“Like… like a person that always burns cookies.”

Great. Steve would make a note that trying to get information out of a three year old was difficult.

“Okay then. Do you know her name?”

Will frowned, finally looking up from his shoes. “Yeah… it’s mama.”

Steve huffed, trying to shove his hands in his pockets. Only when he felt the crinkly packet in his pocket did he remember putting a granola bar in there before he left.

“Oh!” He pulled it out and held it towards Will, hoping he wasn’t a fussy kid. “You can have this!”

Thankfully, Will took it with no hesitation and mumbled a thanks.

Steve knew that he should probably find this kid’s family. If it was him in Will’s shoes he would want someone to find _his_ mom… though she probably wouldn’t want to find him.

“Hey, Will, do you wanna come with me and we’ll try and find your mom?”

Will nodded, happily chewing on the granola bar. He reached out his hand that wasn’t preoccupied with food and Steve took it, helping him off the bench. He thought the kid’s hand would be sticky, like his mom used to complain that his were, but they were just warm and very small and clung onto him for dear life. Steve was never allowed to hold his mom’s hand.

“Okay, Will, tell me if you see her.”

He nodded again.

Steve pondered for a moment. If he went around asking if anyone had seen Will’s mom, people might take Will away to the police or somewhere to find her. But Steve didn’t want to leave Will. He liked the chubby cheeked kid and it felt nice to have someone to talk to that would actually listen – well, to the extent that a three year old _could_ listen. Maybe if he asked if anyone had seen _their_ mom, if anyone sent them away they’d go together. Besides, if they really were Will’s mom, she’d know that Steve wasn’t hers.

So as they walked around the front of the mall Steve would stop and ask strangers if they had seen their mom anywhere. Barely anyone batted an eyelid. Will had finished eating quickly enough and, much to Steve’s horror, he began to show signs of tiredness. First with the yawning, then the eye-rubbing, then the slowing down. Steve knew he wouldn’t be able to keep walking if he fell asleep, so he very awkwardly picked the kid up and _holy hell_ almost buckled under the weight. Steve didn’t weigh much as he wasn’t fed an awful lot, and Will probably weighed at least half his weight so he was severely struggling. But it was too late to back out now. Will had already fallen asleep in Steve’s arms. Steve shifted him to his hip and was basically bear hugging him to keep him there as he continued to stumble around searching.

About half an hour went by after Will fell asleep and Steve thought his arms were going to break. He turned the final corner, almost back to the bench – almost back to his arms’ freedom – when he heard some commotion just a little ways ahead of the bench.

“Jonathan Byers, _I swear to god,_ I can’t believe you just left your brother alone! He’s probably wandered off or gotten kidnapped or _oh my god Jonathan!_ ” The lady was not very happy with her son who was looking at the floor, flushed with embarrassment. Steve knew this had to be Will’s mom and brother Jon. He hobbled over to them as quickly as he could without collapsing.

Neither of them saw Steve approach. One was too busy panicking and the other too busy staring at the floor in shame. He shifted Will a little more comfortably as to not drop the kid.

“Um… excuse me?” He squeaked, not quite sure was his voice came out so quiet.

The lady turned around sharply and looked down at him, eyes filling with relief.

“Are you Will’s mom?” He asked, just to be sure.

She knelt down instantly and took her sleeping child off of Steve, his arms crying as the weight was lifted off them.

“Yes! Oh my god, baby!” Will didn’t even stir. She turned to Steve. “Thank you _so_ much, young man! Have you been looking after him for me all day?”

Steve nodded, feeling strangely proud.

“You are a regular little life saver, honey. I couldn’t imagine what could’ve happened to my baby if you hadn’t have been there. What’s your name?”

“Steve Harrington.”

“Well, Steve Harrington, thank you so, _so_ much. If there’s anything I can ever do to repay you… please tell your mom or dad how much of a good boy you’ve been and that Joyce Byers will give you a free toy next time you come down to Melvard’s General Store.” The lady was rambling now, overly thankful, Steve thought.

He had been to Melvard’s before but only on the outside… again.

“Thank you but my mommy won’t let me have toys and she won’t like it if I tell her I helped.”

The lady suddenly looked extremely concerned. Steve wanted to say something to make her happy again.

“But… maybe I could see Will again one day? I liked his company…”

The lady didn’t hesitate. “Of course, of course! Any time! We can –”

“Oh for god’s sake, where’s the little shit now?”

Steve cringed hearing his mother’s voice behind him.

“I’m sorry. I gotta go.” He waved to the scowling boy behind the lady, then to her, then to the sleeping kid. “Bye. Bye, Will.”

He then turned and speed walked over to his angry mother who glared at him the moment he came into view.

“I’m here, mommy.”

“I told you to stay here, you little shit.” She hissed.

“I did but then there was this little boy and –”

“I don’t give a donkey’s ass. You disobeyed me. Now, get moving.” She grabbed him forcefully by the arm, and he grimaced at the pain that shocked through him.

As she dragged him along, he turned to the lady with one last looked and noticed her watching him with a frown.

He knew his mom wouldn’t let him see Will. But maybe if he was lucky, he’d see him when he was old enough to do what he pleased.

Maybe.

**Author's Note:**

> thnx bro


End file.
